I have been collecting firearms for more than 50 years, mostly WWI and WWII military weapons. Many I have not look at for years so today I got down a Colt model of 1917 to clean and check over. I also wanted to update the description of this pistol in my data base.

Imagine my surprise when I checked the butt for the serial number and found it to be 01. Yes, the first. The gun has been refinished (in part or whole) and has Coltwood grip panels. Inspector mark is S20 under the eagle which is correct for the period. The barrel has the patent date on top and is marked Property of on the botton as is correct. The number on the frame has been struck through. The metal shows the correct brushed finish under the bluing.

All of this points to a commercial model that was renumbered to the Army during the first of production. It shows little indication of use with no flame cutting and great bore. So the question is: Is this really the first Colt Model of 1917?